GREATER Manchester's popular Ring and Ride has celebrated its tenth birthday with a hi-tech gift.

To celebrate the occasion, Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA) has bought service users a special present in the form of a new vehicle for them to test.

The Optare Alero is designed to be a fully accessible, feature packed, low-floor vehicle, accommodating up to 16 passengers.

It also includes electronic climate control and air suspension for maximum comfort. It also allows mobility-impaired passengers roll-on wheelchair access via an integrated ramp.

Bury spokesman for the GMPTA, Councillor Winston Ramsey, said: "I am delighted that we have been able to provide Ring and Ride with this new vehicle.

"Making the public transport network accessible is one of the authority's key priorities, but there will always be a number of people who are unable to use ordinary public transport." He added: "Ring and Ride is a brilliant service which makes a very big difference to the lives of many elderly or disabled people who cannot catch an ordinary bus or a train to make their journey."

Mr Paul Barlow, managing director of Ring and Ride, said: "We are delighted to be getting this new vehicle which, if successful, will be a real boost to passengers.

"Rigorous testing will take place over the next three months, taking the bus into every single district of Greater Manchester.

"We anticipate that up to 2,000 passengers will ride in the Alero during this period. Each, along with Ring and Ride drivers and technical personnel, will be given a questionnaire to let us know what they think of the bus."

Commenting on a decade with the service, Mr Barlow said: "It's been an absolute joy to be involved with Ring and Ride for the past ten years and, in that time, I've met a lot of passengers.

"And I can confidently say that there is no-one more deserving of such a special tenth birthday present. I just can't wait to find out what they think about it."

Ring and Ride is a door-to-door transport service for people with mobility difficulties, funded by GMPTA, which operates in the ten districts of Greater Manchester.

Served by 70 mini-buses, the service carries 1.25 million passengers a year.